Hollywood star and Thurles Ursuline alumni Jessie Buckley caught in a 'purr-fect' storm

Jessie Buckley, the actress who once roamed the halls of Ursuline Secondary School in Thurles, may soon discover that Hollywood is not immune to feline judgment.

The Irish performer, lauded for her exquisite work in Hamnet, has found herself on the wrong side of an unexpected community, cat owners.

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It all began with what might be called an innocent revelation. On a recent podcast, Buckley confessed that early in her relationship, she issued an ultimatum: her husband’s two cats must go, or she would.

One particularly feline, she explained, had taken to redecorating pillows with its droppings. “It’s me or the cats,” she said, delivered with the casual decisiveness of someone used to getting her way.

Buckley later sought to clarify on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, insisting she truly loves cats. “I woke up this morning thinking, does the world think that I really don’t love cats? And it’s really weighed on me all day. I felt sick,” she said.

She also recounted her disastrous audition for the 2019 musical Cats, describing it as the “worst audition of my life,” involving much flailing and paw-licking.

Buckley has earned widespread acclaim for her portrayal of Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet, winning awards including the Critics’ Choice, Golden Globe, Bafta, and Actor awards.

She is widely expected to take home the Oscar on 15 March in Los Angeles.

Despite the feline controversy, many fans in Ireland are cheering her on. Some cat enthusiasts, however, remain wary, joking that “kitty karma” could still catch up with the actress.

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